Stubborn feeder

I am having a problem with my spider Mojave BP refusing to take food one week she'll eat then refuse two to three weeks in a row.. My other two females are aggressive feeders and never turn down a meal ... I feeding F/T rats I even take a hair dryer to the head of rats to get them at 99 degrees. Rats are fully defrosted. Temperature is good she has a hide and is kept in same rack as other two BP.

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I use to take mice bedding from mice cages and take the F/T mouse warmed and shake it in the used bedding to get the "smell" worked like a charm.

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Originally Posted by robert7107

I am having a problem with my spider Mojave BP refusing to take food one week she'll eat then refuse two to three weeks in a row.. My other two females are aggressive feeders and never turn down a meal ... I feeding F/T rats I even take a hair dryer to the head of rats to get them at 99 degrees. Rats are fully defrosted. Temperature is good she has a hide and is kept in same rack as other two BP.

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How much does your spider mojave weigh? It's possible that she is at the point where she only needs to eat every other week or so. I feed my male adult bp's once every 2~3 weeks now.

It could be the time of life. It could be the time of year. It could be the time of day. The snake could be stressed.

This kind of behavior is part of why I feed my snakes haphazardly. Sometimes they don't eat for 2 to 3 weeks, other times they eat every 4 days. It works well for me, just gotta make sure they are eating enough on a every couple month basis.

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

How much does your spider mojave weigh? It's possible that she is at the point where she only needs to eat every other week or so. I feed my male adult bp's once every 2~3 weeks now.

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550 grams she was 250 when I got her back in October 2016.

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Has she been eating rats since you got her? Or was she on mice and you switched her?

Rats...

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ok, what size rats are you feeding her? How many grams are they?

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

ok, what size rats are you feeding her? How many grams are they?

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Not sure but their small.. I'll weigh one tonight when I am home... What should they be???

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The general rule of thumb is 10-15% of the snakes body weight.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...06a098f580.jpg

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

The general rule of thumb is 10-15% of the snakes body weight.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...06a098f580.jpg

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Maybe try live???

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I wouldn't try live, (or switching to another type of prey) - you could end up with a girl that only wants live and still eats erratically. Her schedule may bug you, and lots of us sympathize with the frustration of goofy feeding preferences in our BPs, but she'll just grow more slowly than the enthusiastic feeders.


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I wouldn't try live either. Just try to be patient, although I know it's frustrating.

Hey everyone just thought I'd give a update...

I woke up at 4am this morning to go to gym defrosted rat placed​ rat at the entrance of the hide box with head just at opening of it the room was in complete darkness and quiet... 30 minutes later rat was gone..

Iam wondering if dangling rat near or on BP just stresses her out and that's why she won't eat. Next time I go to feed her I'll do the exact same thing..

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Good to hear she ate. Some bp's have a strong feeding response, others do not. Whatever works for a particular animal is what you need to do. Be happy you found what works. Do not be surprised if the feeding response gets stronger as time goes on. I have had a few that started out feeding as yours is and will now eat hanging half way out of their tub. I have a very strong belief that ball pythons only eat when they are hungry, not when we want them to be hungry. They also only eat when they feel safe. The act of feeding temporarily immobilizes the animal and makes them vulnerable. The safer they feel, the more likely they are to feed.

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

Good to hear she ate. Some bp's have a strong feeding response, others do not. Whatever works for a particular animal is what you need to do. Be happy you found what works. Do not be surprised if the feeding response gets stronger as time goes on. I have had a few that started out feeding as yours is and will now eat hanging half way out of their tub. I have a very strong belief that ball pythons only eat when they are hungry, not when we want them to be hungry. They also only eat when they feel safe. The act of feeding temporarily immobilizes the animal and makes them vulnerable. The safer they feel, the more likely they are to feed.

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Three in row .. iam guessing the whole dangling prey in front of her isn't her deal like my other females.. just stick to what works.

I weighed the last rat 51 grams.
Spider Mojave weighs empty 562 grams

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Originally Posted by robert7107

550 grams she was 250 when I got her back in October 2016.

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My poor boy was 520 back in February and went on winter/breeding fast hasn't eaten in 5 months and is down to 480....what a pain in my ass...